Is that appraised value ¥956million based from govt appraisal or from independent/private appraising agency? I understand that the govt system of appraising is lesser than the existing commercial value. I'm just a bit confused about all these talks on being able to buy a land 14% of its appraised value. Is it not the same as in buying or selling a dollar from a bank. They would sell you a dollar at a higher rate and would buy yours at a lower exchange rate.

It’s not the same. The currency rate differs when buying or selling but it is never a difference of 86%. Neither are the differences between government and commercial appraisals.

The contractors are talking now and so they’re now saying it’s toxic therefore worth that “less” (14%).

As stated by others, why would you build a school to begin with? The hole they’re digging is far more than 3.8 meters.

The attempt to explain the discount given is that it’s a damaged good (waste on site) and so they’ll give you an 86% discount. Doesn’t fly.

My son’s response after hearing this news:

So it’s like working at the movie theater and when your homies (friends) show up, you sell them popcorn for ¥50 instead of ¥500 and when asked about it by your boss you say the popcorn had hair in it and it took us 30 minutes to remove the hair (he is paid ¥900 per hour and half of that is the ¥450 discount.) And when the boss says it doesn’t take that long to do that, you say well popcorn is unhealthy and worth no more than ¥50 anyway.

This is the guy that has praised Hitler and said if all the elders could quickly die 「さっさと死ねるように」the aging problem would be solved.

It amazes me what they teach the children at the conservative kindergarten school to shout and proclaim at their fall sports day, “Go Prime Minister Abe! The National Security Law has passed at the Diet!” -「安倍首相ガンバレ！安保法制国会通過よかったです！」

This was the law that enables the Self-Defense Forces to fight overseas for the first time since the end of war.

Kindergarteners can cheer for Aso’s fiscal prudence this fall if he survives.

PM Abe, you’ll be elected third term and be the head of state at the 2020 Olympics if you help the evacuees of the earthquake still in temporary housing, the aging population, the declining birthdate, the economy, the pension system, etc.

The rest of the response is missing but I agree there is a more sympathetic view towards suicide in Japan. In other cultures, it may be seen as a way of escape. It is considered honorable if one accepts the ultimate punishment for his sins, beyond what the law calls for, and administers that punishment himself. It may be viewed as honorable if the person is a scapegoat and is taking the punishment of someone else’s sin for which he doesn’t deserve.

“the names of several politicians were erased in the version later disclosed to Diet members.”

so who else had their snouts in the trough? Won’t hold my breath waiting to find out.

Per another English paper:

Several lawmakers who were also mentioned in the original documents — former trade minister Takeo Hiranuma, LDP veteran Yoshitada Konoike, former Upper House lawmaker Issei Kitagawa and the late Kunio Hatoyama, former internal affairs minister — were also deleted.

News is reporting Akie’s name (Abe’s wife not the JT forum poster) has been delete 20-50 times from 14 of the Moritomo documents. The tampering was done last February. How do you lead Japan when you’re doing these kind of things?

Kim will accomplish the dream of his father and grandfather by making North Korea a nuclear state, and gain tremendous prestige and legitimacy by meeting with an American President as an equal. All without giving up a single warhead or missile.

Trump charges ahead and takes risks. High rewards but high risks. Think of your pet and how your pet felt when you brought home a new pet. The dog/cat had no choice but to get along with the new pet.

If you’ve had this experience before, you’ll understand Abe’s feelings if Trump has some success in meeting Kim. Imagine if the meeting is in Florida and Trump takes Kim on his golf course for a photo op. Abe can only sit quietly and deal with Moritomo and some doctored documents.

Trump’s political theatre is on a different scale. It is opening night on Broadway. Abe’s is a little live house in the basement Tuesday night in Shimokitazawa.

A: Toshiba, Olympus, Nissan, Nippon Steel, the Ministry of Finance and so on. Japan needs a philosophy or someone to explain how ethical behavior relates to behavior governed by law and free choice; and how individual and organizational factors shape ethical decision making.

B: Yeah, but corruption exists in other countries too. Japan isn’t the only one!

City planners are putting in the effort in urban forestry despite the image of a concrete jungle in Tokyo.

There is a road construction project on the northwest side of Nakameguro station on Yamate-Dori where there are plans for cherry trees and other trees to be planted along a 500m strip. The cherry trees are more of an upright variety Yokohzakura unlike the Someyoshino kind with its artistic but obstructive limbs as a street tree. It’s a busy road but they’re widening the sidewalks and it will run parallel to the cherries along the Megurogawa, a popular spot for Ohanami. There are numerous other examples.

If you take the Omotesando Exit from JR Harajuku station and walk down Omotesando Avenue, you’ll see they’ve just planted new trees in the smoker infested corner park across from the entrance to the Meiji Shrine. One of the smallest but busiest stations during the weekend on the Yamanote line, Harajuku station is being renovated and there’ll be more trees in the landscape once construction is completed.

If you ever walk from Tsutaya Bookstore in Daikanyama on the Old Yamato-Dori (different from Yamate-Dori previously mentioned) towards Shibuya past the Malaysian Embassy, you’ll come to a large intersection at the 246 expressway and the Sumitomo Fudosan Shibuya Garden Tower building on the corner. There they’ve planted California redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens, trees that are 100 meters tall in their native habitat. These can also be seen in business complexes in Osaki and Shinagawa.

Those of you who take the Chuo line heading into one of the largest dumping stations - Shinjuku - will see huge Dawn redwoods, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, if you look to your right - south - at Asagaya station. There is a small grove of the redwoods almost ten stories tall, rare in Tokyo because trees planted near buildings have height restrictions. You need to be at the front or rear of the train as the station itself will block the view.

Street tree species in Tokyo and their varieties are limited due to their designated requirements. They must be equipped with a root system able to withstand typhoons and a leaf surface texture that can take road pollution. The Ginkgo tree is one of the few larger trees that passes this test.

The possible downside is the lack of colors other than yellow, or golden yellow in colder parts, in the fall of large shade trees as the overplanted and ubiquitous Gingko -Icho - is the official tree of Tokyo.

The Japanese maple - momiji -while red in the fall is a small tree and does not colour as well in the warmer coastal climate of the capital. Neither will the Zelkova - Keyaki - turning brown or a faint yellow at best despite its good size.

Lots of trees are sacrificed in our little neighborhood areas but larger or rare specimens are designated Heritage Trees and such programs make illegal their removal.

Many trees do fall victim to the workers’ chainsaw. Construction companies indeed need to build, and the local government obstacle is resolvable by fat envelopes, but capital city planning is no doubt quite conscious of the value of trees as seen by the trees planted around town.

The US wants exactly the opposite. It would not be in the interest of the US to have a United Korea, not especially one with nuclear weapons and ICBMs. The best the US can do is keep South Korea and Japan as allies. One rung down would be Japan only.